Epic Battle Fantasy 3
Released in August 2010, Epic Battle Fantasy 3 (titled as Epic Battle Fantasy III in-game) is the third game in the EBF saga, the sequel to . Along with Matt and Natalie, the game features a returning and now playable character, Lance, an expert in al techniques. Now jumping well into the role-playing game genre, many elements which were not seen before have been integrated; of most significance is the map navigation and introduction of non-player characters. Synopsis After the defeat of Lance at the hands of Matt and Natalie, the world rebuilt civilization and lived in relative peace. The three heroes also banded together, hoping that no evil would be able to defeat their combined force. A few years later, the heroes stumble upon the resting place of an ancient demon, the infamous Akron, who was so powerful he had to be sealed away. Unwisely, the heroes inadvertently prodded him (by means of Matt poking him just once with his sword.). Akron awoke with a violent shockwave, draining the heroes' power. The heroes were only saved from death by the fact that their combined power was too great for any one entity to completely absorb. They awake in a distant land, determined to recover their lost strength and defeat Akron for good. Gameplay New gameplay features include the ability to level up all three characters, gaining experience and a new system of Ability Points, to upgrade a vast collection of skills and spells. Equipment can be collected and equipped, as well as forged with certain combinations of items to upgrade their power and effectiveness. Additionally, side quests can be accumulated by talking to NPCs, and when completed, will reward certain equipment, items, medals, or additional skills with which the player may choose which character learns them. There are also minigames to play that can be a source of gold and medals. Concept and design In addition to all the artwork and designs from the previous two games, Matt Roszak had released fresh conceptual designs for the new game on DeviantArt as early as October 2009. He uploaded an interactive flash on 29 October which featured the three main characters, showing random newly-developed armour and weapons equipped, as well as the improved character animations. Interactive flashes featuring many new foes also followed, along with item designs and a test of the overworld navigation. On 28 January 2010, he revealed the opening animation to the game. Further conceptual art for icons, backgrounds, world maps and NPCs, previews of minigames, cutscenes, and demos of the GUI, upgrades and battle systems, were uploaded to show his progress, until several teaser screens displaying in-game fight scenes were eventually posted, the last one on 7 August, before the official release. Release A Facebook Page was created on 5 July 2010, to launch the release of the upcoming sequel to , and spread news of the game's developmental progress. On 12 August the first beta version was officially released to the public on DeviantArt, followed by the second on 22 August. However the final version was eventually moved to Kongregate and released on 1 September, due to DeviantArt inadvertently deleting saved game data. A Newgrounds version was subsequently released on 12 September, as well as Armor Games on 14 September. Several related videos were also uploaded to YouTube; gameplay of minigames, and a trailer of in-game clips. The official Epic Battle Fantasy 3 soundtrack went up for sale at $10 a disc. Response As a result, Epic Battle Fantasy 3 received much appraisal. In less than a month, the game hit over two million plays on Kongregate, and by mid-October over one million on Armor Games, also winning the Newgrounds Award, and earning tons of positive reviews there. Similar reviews appeared on several other gaming sites, such as NonsenseGamer.com, and the game itself popped up on various unofficial sites. User-made videos flooded onto YouTube, demonstrating map walkthroughs and fighting strategies. Numerous fan artworks were uploaded to DeviantArt, and a tropes article on the game was added to TVTropes.org. A wiki project, the Epic Battle Fantasy Wiki had been initiated on 28 November 2009, however it wasn't until the release of Epic Battle Fantasy 3 that it began to kick off. Trivia *Epic Battle Fantasy 3 is the first game in the series to allow free roaming. *Also, it is the first game in the series to feature a new playable character, Lance. Allusions Epic Battle Fantasy 3 frequently references other works ranging from video games to animation to literature. A few examples include: *Cave Story: The NPC in charge of the last minigame, Curly, says "Did you know the witch woman Jenka had... oh, wrong person." *Dragon Ball Z: Lance implies that his scanner is actually Vegeta's scouter in his conversation with the NPC Bill in the forest. *Toppen Tengen Gurren Lagann: Kamina, Yoko, and Simon make a cameo together in the ruins of the Kitty Kingdom. Matt also says "Pierce the heavens with your drill!" the first time Lance uses the technique Kamina taught him, "Tera Drill". *Rurouni Kenshin: The NPC in charge of the first minigame, Sir Ken, is strikingly similar to the show's eponymous swordsman. *Dune: "Walk without rhythm to confuse the worm!" upon encountering the Sand Worm *The Matrix: "May God have mercy on man and machine for their sins." upon activating Natz's Limit Break, Genesis. *Pokemon: Not only does Matt say. "Pidgey used Sand-Attack! Accuracy fell!" when he first gets hit by a dust cloud a crow conjured, but also a slime designed to look like a Pikachu. *Lucky Star: Konata, the blue haired girl in the town that gives you a quest so she can play the newest MMORPGs. A more thorough list can be found at Epic Battle Fantasy's "Shout Out" page on TVtropes, a link to which can be found at the bottom of the page. External links Play the game *Epic Battle Fantasy 3 on Kongregate *Epic Battle Fantasy 3 on Newgrounds *Epic Battle Fantasy 3 on Armor Games *Epic Battle Fantasy 3 on DeviantArt (no longer available) Other links *Epic Battle Fantasy 3 Facebook Page *The opening animation on DeviantArt *Character equips interactive flash on DeviantArt *Battle demo on DeviantArt *YouTube Trailer *Game review on NonsenseGamer.com *Article on TVTropes.org *List of Shout Outs on TVTropes.org Category:Game